document_title: Australian rules football

question_text: how many players in an afl team on the field

text: Australian rules football

text: Etymology and names[edit]

text: Australian rules football is known by several nicknames, including Aussie rules, football and footy.[10] In some regions, it is marketed as AFL after the Australian Football League.[11]

text: History[edit]

text: Origins[edit]

text: There is evidence of football being played sporadically in the Australian colonies in the first half of the 19th century. Compared to cricket and horse racing, football was viewed as a minor "amusement" at the time, and while little is known about these early one-off games, it is clear they share no causal link with Australian football.[13] In 1858, in a move that would help to shape Australian football in its formative years, public schools in Melbourne, Victoria began organising football games inspired by precedents at English public schools.[14] The earliest such match, held in St Kilda on 15 June, was between Melbourne Grammar and St Kilda Grammar.[15]

text: On 10 July 1858, the Melbourne-based Bell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle published a letter by Tom Wills, captain of the Victoria cricket team, calling for the formation of a "foot-ball club" with a "code of laws" to keep cricketers fit during winter.[16] Born in Australia, Wills played a nascent form of rugby football whilst a pupil at Rugby School in England, and returned to his homeland a star athlete and cricketer. His letter is regarded by many historians as giving impetus for the development of a new code of football today known as Australian football.[17] Two weeks later, Wills' friend, cricketer Jerry Bryant, posted an advertisement for a scratch match at the Richmond Paddock adjoining the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).[18] This was the first of several "kickabouts" held that year involving members of the Melbourne Cricket Club, including Wills, Bryant, W. J. Hammersley and J. B. Thompson. Trees were used as goalposts and play typically lasted an entire afternoon. Without an agreed upon code of laws, some players were guided by rules they had learned in the British Isles, "others by no rules at all".[19]

text: Another significant milestone in 1858 was a match played under experimental rules between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College, held at the Richmond Paddock. This 40-a-side contest, umpired by Wills and Scotch College teacher John Macadam, began on 7 August and continued over two subsequent Saturdays, ending in a draw with each side kicking one goal.[20] It is commemorated with a statue outside the MCG, and the two schools have competed annually ever since in the Cordner-Eggleston Cup, the world's oldest continuous football competition.[21]

text: Since the early 20th century, it has been suggested that Australian football was derived from the Irish sport of Gaelic football, which was not codified until 1885.[22] There is no archival evidence in favour of a Gaelic influence, and the style of play shared between the two modern codes was evident in Australia long before the Irish game evolved in a similar direction.[23][24] Another theory, first proposed in 1983, posits that Wills, having grown up amongst Aborigines in Victoria, may have seen or played the Aboriginal game of Marn Grook, and incorporated some of its features into early Australian football. This evidence for this is only circumstantial, and according to biographer Greg de Moore's research, Wills was "almost solely influenced by his experience at Rugby School".[25]

text: First rules[edit]

text: A loosely organised Melbourne side, captained by Wills, played against other football enthusiasts in the winter and spring of 1858.[26] The following year, on 14 May, the Melbourne Football Club officially came into being, making it one of the world's oldest football clubs. Three days later, Wills, Hammersley, Thompson and teacher Thomas H. Smith met near the MCG at the Parade Hotel, owned by Bryant, and drafted ten rules: "The Rules of the Melbourne Football Club". These are the laws from which Australian football evolved.[27] The document was signed by the rule-framers and three other club office bearers: Alex Bruce, T. Butterworth and J. Sewell.[28] The club's stated aim was to create a simple code that was suited to the hard playing surfaces around Melbourne, and to eliminate the roughest aspects of English school games—such as "hacking" (shin-kicking) in Rugby School football—to lessen the chance of injuries to working men.[29] In another significant departure from English public school football, the Melbourne rules omitted any offside law.[30] "The new code was as much a reaction against the school games as influenced by them", writes Mark Pennings.[31]

text: The rules were distributed throughout the colony; Thompson in particular did much to promote the new code in his capacity as a journalist.[32] Australian football's date of codification predates that of any other major football code, including soccer (codified in 1863) and rugby union (codified in 1871).

text: Early competition in Victoria[edit]

text: Following Melbourne's lead, Geelong and Melbourne University also formed football clubs in 1859.[34] While many early Victorian teams participated in one-off matches, most had not yet formed clubs for regular competition. A South Yarra side devised its own rules.[35] To ensure the supremacy of the Melbourne rules, the first-club level competition in Australia, the Caledonian Society's Challenge Cup (1861–64), stipulated that only the Melbourne rules were to be used.[36] This law was reinforced by the Athletic Sports Committee (ASC), which ran a variation of the Challenge Cup in 1865–66.[37] With input from other clubs, the rules underwent several minor revisions, establishing a uniform code known as "Victorian rules".[38] In 1866, the "first distinctively Victorian rule", the running bounce, was formalised at a meeting of club delegates chaired by H. C. A. Harrison,[39] an influential pioneer who took up football in 1859 at the invitation of Wills, his cousin.[40]

text: The game around this time was defensive and low-scoring, played low to the ground in congested rugby-style scrimmages. The typical match was a 20-per-side affair, played with a ball that was roughly spherical, and lasted until a team scored two goals.[30] The shape of the playing field was not standardised; matches often took place in rough, tree-spotted public parks, most notably the Richmond Paddock (Yarra Park), known colloquially as the Melbourne Football Ground.[41] Wills argued that the turf of cricket fields would benefit from being trampled upon by footballers in winter,[42] and, as early as 1859, football was allowed on the MCG.[43] However, cricket authorities frequently prohibited football on their grounds until the 1870s, when they saw an opportunity to capitalise on the sport's growing popularity. Football gradually adapted to an oval-shaped field, and most grounds in Victoria expanded to accommodate the dual purpose—a situation that continues to this day.[43]

text: Spread to other colonies[edit]

text: As "Victorian rules" gained roots in other Australasian colonies—beginning with South Australia (1860), Tasmania (1864), Queensland (1866), and New Zealand (1871)—it came to be known as "Australian rules" or "Australasian rules". In 1877, the sport's first governing bodies, the South Australian Football Association (SAFA) and the Victorian Football Association (VFA), formed on 30 April and 17 May respectively. The game was introduced to New South Wales in 1877 and Western Australia in 1881, where it took hold during the colony's gold rushes.

text: By the 1880s, Australian football had become the prevailing football code in Australia's southern and western colonies, and experienced a period of dominance in Queensland,[44] where, like in areas of New South Wales, it struggled to thrive, largely due to the spread of rugby football, regional rivalries and the lack of strong local governing bodies. In the case of Sydney, denial of access to grounds, the influence of university headmasters from Britain who favoured rugby, and the loss of players to other codes inhibited the game's growth.

text: In 1879, the first intercolonial match took place in Melbourne between Victoria and South Australia, and clubs began touring the colonies. By this stage, the sport had become the first code of football to develop mass spectator appeal, with important matches drawing world record attendances for sports viewing.[45] New rules such as holding the ball led to a "golden era" of fast, long-kicking and high-marking football in the 1880s, a time which also saw the rise of professionalism, particularly in Western Australia and Victoria, and players such as George Coulthard achieve superstardom.[46] Australian football was now widely referred to as "the people's game".[46]

text: Emergence of the VFL[edit]

text: In 1896, delegates from six of the wealthiest VFA clubs—Carlton, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne and South Melbourne—met to discuss the formation of a breakaway professional competition.[47] Later joined by Collingwood and St Kilda, the clubs formed the Victorian Football League (VFL), which held its inaugural season in 1897. The VFL's popularity grew rapidly as it made several innovations, such as instituting a finals system, reducing teams from 20 to 18 players, and introducing the behind as a score.[48] Richmond and University joined the VFL in 1908, and by 1925, with the addition of Hawthorn, Footscray and North Melbourne, it had become the preeminent league in the country and would take a leading role in many aspects of the sport.

text: Effects of the two world wars[edit]

text: Both World War I and World War II had a devastating effect on Australian football and on Australian sport in general. While scratch matches were played by Australian "diggers" in remote locations around the world, the game lost many of its great players to wartime service. Some clubs and competitions never fully recovered. Between 1914 and 1915, a proposed hybrid code of Australian football and rugby league, the predominant code of football in New South Wales and Queensland, was trialed without success.[49][50] World War I saw the game in New Zealand go into recess for three quarters of a century. In Queensland, the state league went into recess for the duration of the war. VFL club University left the league and went into recess due to severe casualties. The WAFL lost two clubs and the SANFL was suspended for one year in 1916 due to heavy club losses. The ANZAC Day clash is one example of how the war continues to be remembered in the football community.

text: Interstate football and the ANFC[edit]

text: The role of the Australian National Football Council (ANFC) was primarily to govern the game at a national level and to facilitate interstate representative and club competition. The ANFC ran the Championship of Australia, the first national club competition, which commenced in 1888 and saw clubs from different states compete on an even playing field. Although clubs from other states were at times invited, the final was almost always between the premiers from the two strongest state competitions of the time—South Australia and Victoria—and the majority of matches were played in Adelaide at the request of the SAFA/SAFL. The last match was played in 1976, with North Adelaide being the last non-Victorian winner in 1972. Between 1976 and 1987, the ANFC, and later the Australian Football Championships (AFC) ran a night series, which invited clubs and representative sides from around the country to participate in a knock-out tournament parallel to the premiership seasons, which Victorian sides still dominated.

text: With the lack of international competition, state representative matches were regarded with great importance. The Australian Football Council co-ordinated regular interstate carnivals, including the Australasian Football Jubilee, held in Melbourne in 1908 to celebrate the game's bicentenary.[51] Due in part to the VFL poaching talent from other states, Victoria dominated interstate matches for three quarters of a century. State of Origin rules, introduced in 1977, stipulated that rather than representing the state of their adopted club, players would return to play for the state they were first recruited in. This instantly broke Victoria's stranglehold over state titles and Western Australia and South Australia began to win more of their games against Victoria. Both New South Wales and Tasmania scored surprise victories at home against Victoria in 1990.

text: Towards a national competition[edit]

text: The term "Barassi Line", named after VFL star Ron Barassi, was coined by scholar Ian Turner in 1978 to describe the "fictitious geographical barrier" separating large parts of New South Wales and Queensland which predominately followed rugby from the rest of the country, where Australian football reigned.[52] It became a reference point for the expansion of Australian football and for establishing a national league.[53]

text: The way the game was played had changed dramatically due to innovative coaching tactics, with the phasing out of many of the game's kicking styles and the increasing use of handball; while presentation was influenced by television.[54]

text: In 1982, in a move that heralded big changes within the sport, one of the original VFL clubs, South Melbourne, relocated to Sydney and became known as the Sydney Swans. In the late 1980s, due to the poor financial standing of many of the Victorian clubs, the VFL pursued a more national competition. Two more non-Victorian clubs, West Coast and Brisbane, joined the league in 1987.[55] In their early years, the Sydney and Brisbane clubs struggled both on and off-field because the substantial TV revenues they generated by playing on a Sunday went to the VFL. To protect these revenues the VFL granted significant draft concessions and financial aid to keep the expansion clubs competitive. Each club was required to pay a licence fee which allowed the Victorian-based clubs to survive.

text: The VFL changed its name to the Australian Football League (AFL) for the 1990 season, and over the next decade, three non-Victorian clubs gained entry: Adelaide (1991), Fremantle (1995) and the SANFL's Port Adelaide (1997), the only pre-existing club outside Victoria to join the league.[55] In 2011 and 2012 respectively, two new non-Victorian clubs were added to the competition: Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney.[56] The AFL, currently with 18 member clubs, is the sport's elite competition and most powerful body. Following the emergence of the AFL, state leagues were quickly relegated to a second-tier status. The VFA merged with the former VFL reserves competition in 1998, adopting the VFL name. State of Origin also declined in importance, especially after an increasing number of player withdrawals. The AFL turned its focus to the annual International Rules Series against Ireland in 1998 before abolishing State of Origin the following year. State and territorial leagues still contest interstate matches, as do AFL Women players.[57]

text: Although a Tasmanian AFL bid is ongoing,[58] the AFL's focus has been on expanding into markets outside Australian football's traditional heartlands.[59] The AFL regularly schedules pre-season exhibition matches in all Australian states and territories as part of the Regional Challenge. The AFL signalled further attempts at expansion in the 2010s by hosting home-and-away matches in New Zealand,[60] followed by China.[61]

text: Laws of the game[edit]

text: Field[edit]

text: Australian rules football playing fields have no fixed dimensions but at senior level are typically between 135 and 185 metres long and 110 and 155 metres wide wing-to-wing. The field, like the ball, is oval-shaped, and in Australia, cricket grounds are often used. No more than 18 players of each team are permitted to be on the field at any time.

text: Up to four interchange (reserve) players may be swapped for those on the field at any time during the game. In Australian rules terminology, these players wait for substitution "on the bench"—an area with a row of seats on the sideline. Players must interchange through a designated interchange "gate" with strict penalties for too many players from one team on the field. In addition, some leagues like the AFL have each team designate one player as a substitute who can be used to make a single permanent exchange of players during a game.

text: There is no offside rule nor are there set positions in the rules; unlike many other forms of football, players from both teams may disperse across the whole field before the start of play. However, a typical on-field structure consists of six forwards, six defenders or "backmen" and six midfielders, usually two wingmen, one centre and three followers, including a ruckman, ruck-rover and rover. Only four players from each team are allowed within the centre square (50 metres (55 yd)) at every centre bounce, which occurs at the commencement of each quarter, and to restart the game after a goal is scored. There are also other rules pertaining to allowed player positions during set plays (that is, after a mark or free kick) and during kick-ins following the scoring of a behind.

text: Match duration[edit]

text: A game consists of four quarters and a timekeeper officiates their duration. At the professional level, each quarter consist of 20 minutes of play, with the clock being stopped for instances such as scores, the ball going out of bounds or at the umpire's discretion, e.g. for serious injury. Lower grades of competition might employ shorter quarters of play. The umpire signals time-off to stop the clock for various reasons, such as the player in possession being tackled into stagnant play. Time resumes when the umpire signals time-on or when the ball is brought into play. Stoppages cause quarters to extend approximately 5–10 minutes beyond the 20 minutes of play. 6 minutes of rest is allowed before the second and fourth quarters, and 20 minutes of rest is allowed at half-time.

text: The official game clock is available only to the timekeeper(s), and is not displayed to the players, umpires or spectators. The only public knowledge of game time is when the timekeeper sounds a siren at the start and end of each quarter. Coaching staff may monitor the game time themselves and convey information to players via on-field trainers or substitute players. Broadcasters usually display an approximation of the official game time for television audiences, although some will now show the exact time remaining in a quarter.

text: General play[edit]

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tag: table

text: Games are officiated by umpires. Before the game, the winner of a coin toss determines which directions the teams will play to begin. Australian football begins after the first siren, when the umpire bounces the ball on the ground (or throws it into the air if the condition of the ground is poor), and the two ruckmen (typically the tallest players from each team) battle for the ball in the air on its way back down. This is known as the ball-up. Certain disputes during play may also be settled with a ball-up from the point of contention. If the ball is kicked or hit from a ball-up or boundary throw-in over the boundary line or into a behind post without the ball bouncing, a free kick is paid for out of bounds on the full. A free kick is also paid if the ball is deemed by the umpire to have been deliberately carried or directed out of bounds. If the ball travels out of bounds in any other circumstances (for example, contested play results in the ball being knocked out of bounds) a boundary umpire will stand with his back to the infield and return the ball into play with a throw-in, a high backwards toss back into the field of play.[62]

text: The ball can be propelled in any direction by way of a foot, clenched fist (called a handball or handpass) or open-hand tap but it cannot be thrown under any circumstances. Once a player takes possession of the ball he must dispose of it by either kicking or handballing it. Any other method of disposal is illegal and will result in a free kick to the opposing team. This is usually called "incorrect disposal", "dropping the ball" or "throwing". If the ball is not in the possession of one player it can be moved on with any part of the body.

text: A player may run with the ball, but it must be bounced or touched on the ground at least once every 15 metres. Opposition players may bump or tackle the player to obtain the ball and, when tackled, the player must dispose of the ball cleanly or risk being penalised for holding the ball. The ball carrier may only be tackled between the shoulders and knees. If the opposition player forcefully contacts a player in the back while performing a tackle, the opposition player will be penalised for a push in the back. If the opposition tackles the player with possession below the knees (a low tackle or a trip) or above the shoulders (a high tackle), the team with possession of the football gets a free kick.

text: If a player takes possession of the ball that has travelled more than 15 metres (16 yd) from another player's kick, by way of a catch, it is claimed as a mark (meaning that the game stops while he prepares to kick from the point at which he marked). Alternatively, he may choose to "play on" forfeiting the set shot in the hope of pressing an advantage for his team (rather than allowing the opposition to reposition while he prepares for the free kick). Once a player has chosen to play on, normal play resumes and the player who took the mark is again able to be tackled.

text: There are different styles of kicking depending on how the ball is held in the hand. The most common style of kicking seen in today's game, principally because of its superior accuracy, is the drop punt, where the ball is dropped from the hands down, almost to the ground, to be kicked so that the ball rotates in a reverse end over end motion as it travels through the air. Other commonly used kicks are the torpedo punt (also known as the spiral, barrel, or screw punt), where the ball is held flatter at an angle across the body, which makes the ball spin around its long axis in the air, resulting in extra distance (similar to the traditional motion of an American football punt), and the checkside punt or "banana", kicked across the ball with the outside of the foot used to curve the ball (towards the right if kicked off the right foot) towards targets that are on an angle. There is also the "snap", which is almost the same as a checkside punt except that it is kicked off the inside of the foot and curves in the opposite direction. It is also possible to kick the ball so that it bounces along the ground. This is known as a "grubber". Grubbers can bounce in a straight line, or curve to the left or right.

text: Apart from free kicks, marks or when the ball is in the possession of an umpire for a ball up or throw in, the ball is always in dispute and any player from either side can take possession of the ball.

text: Scoring[edit]

text: A goal, worth 6 points, is scored when the football is propelled through the goal posts at any height (including above the height of the posts) by way of a kick from the attacking team. It may fly through "on the full" (without touching the ground) or bounce through, but must not have been touched, on the way, by any player from either team. A goal cannot be scored from the foot of an opposition (defending) player.

text: A behind, worth 1 point, is scored when the ball passes between a goal post and a behind post at any height, or if the ball hits a goal post, or if any player sends the ball between the goal posts by touching it with any part of the body other than a foot. A behind is also awarded to the attacking team if the ball touches any part of an opposition player, including his foot, before passing between the goal posts. When an opposition player deliberately scores a behind for the attacking team (generally as a last resort to ensure that a goal is not scored) this is termed a rushed behind. As of the 2009 AFL season, a free kick is awarded against any player who deliberately rushes a behind.[63][64]

text: The goal umpire signals a goal with two hands pointed forward at elbow height, or a behind with one hand. The goal umpire then waves flags above their heads to confirm the goal or behind to the goal umpire at the opposite end of the ground.

text: The team that has scored the most points at the end of play wins the game. If the scores are level on points at the end of play, then the game is a draw; extra time applies only during finals matches in some competitions.

text: As an example of a score report, consider a match between Essendon and Melbourne with the former as the home team. Essendon's score of 11 goals and 14 behinds equates to 80 points. Melbourne's score of 10 goals and 7 behinds equates to a 67-point tally. Essendon wins the match by a margin of 13 points. Such a result would be written as:

text: And spoken as:

text: Additionally, it can be said that:

text: The home team is typically listed first and the visiting side is listed second. The scoreline is written with respect to the home side.

text: For example, Port Adelaide won in successive weeks, once as the home side and once as the visiting side. These would be written out thus:

text: A draw would be written as:

text: Structure and competitions[edit]

text: The football season proper is from March to August (early autumn to late winter in Australia) with finals being held in September and October.[69] In the tropics, the game is sometimes played in the wet season (October to March).[70] Pre-season competitions in southern Australia usually begin in late February.

text: The AFL is recognised by the Australian Sports Commission as being the National Sporting Organisation for Australian Football.[71] There are also seven state/territory-based organisations in Australia, most of which are now either owned by or affiliated to the AFL. Most of these hold annual semi-professional club competitions while the others oversee more than one league. Local semi-professional or amateur organisations and competitions are often affiliated to their state organisations.

text: The AFL is the de facto world governing body for Australian football. There are also a number of affiliated organisations governing amateur clubs and competitions around the world.[72]

text: For almost all Australian football club competitions the aim is to win the Premiership. The premiership is always decided by a finals series. The teams that occupy the highest positions on the ladder after the home-and-away season play off in a "semi-knockout" finals series, culminating in a single Grand Final match to determine the premiers. Typically between four and eight teams contest the finals series. The team which finishes first on the ladder after the home-and-away season is referred to as a "minor premier", but this usually holds little stand-alone significance, other than receiving a better draw in the finals.

text: Many suburban and amateur leagues have a sufficient number of teams to be played across several tiered divisions, with promotion of the lower division premiers and relegation of the upper division's last placed team at the end of each year. At present, none of the top level national or state level leagues in Australia are large enough to warrant this structure.

text: Women's Australian football[edit]

text: The level of interest shown by women in Australian football is considered unique among the world's football codes.[73] It was the case in the 19th-century, as it is in modern times, that women made up approximately half of crowds at Australian football matches—a far greater proportion than soccer and the two rugby codes.[74] This has been attributed in part to the egalitarian character of Australian football's origins in public parks where women could mingle freely and support the game in various ways.[75]

text: In 2016, over 380,000 women played in organised games across Australia.[1] The AFL Women's National Championships is women's football's state of origin competition. On the back of the inaugural AFL Women's Draft in 2013 and a series of exhibition matches at the MCG, the AFL stated that, by 2020, it would like to establish AFL Women's, a semi-professional, nationally televised women's league.[76] A surge in viewing interest and participation in women's football prompted the AFL to push the founding date of the competition to 2017.[77]

text: Variations and related sports[edit]

text: Many related games have emerged from Australian football, mainly with variations of contact to encourage greater participation. These include Auskick (played by children aged between 5 and 12), kick-to-kick (and its variants end-to-end footy and marks up), rec footy, 9-a-side footy, masters Australian football, handball and longest-kick competitions. Players outside of Australia sometimes engage in related games adapted to available fields, like metro footy (played on gridiron fields) and Samoa rules (played on rugby fields).

text: International rules football[edit]

text: The similarities between Australian football and the Irish sport of Gaelic football have allowed for the creation of a hybrid code known as international rules football. The first international rules matches were contested in Ireland during the 1967 Australian Football World Tour. Since then, various sets of compromise rules have been trialed, and in 1984 the International Rules Series commenced with national representative sides selected by Australia's state leagues (later by the AFL) and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). The competition became an annual event in 1998, but was postponed indefinitely in 2007 when the GAA pulled out due to Australia's severe and aggressive style of play.[78] It resumed in Australia in 2008 under new rules to protect the player with the ball.

text: Global reach[edit]

text: Australian football is played at an amateur level in various countries throughout the world. Twenty countries participated in the Euro Cup and 23 countries have participated in the International Cup with both competitions prohibiting Australian players. Over 20 countries have either affiliation or working agreements with the AFL.[79] There have been many VFL/AFL players who were born outside Australia, an increasing number of which have been recruited through initiatives such as the Irish experiment and more recently, international scholarship programs.

text: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the game spread with the Australian diaspora to areas such as New Zealand and South Africa; however this growth went into rapid decline following World War I. After World War II, the sport experienced a small amount of growth in the Pacific region, particularly in Nauru (where Australian football is the national sport) as well as Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.[80]

text: Most of the current amateur clubs and leagues in existence have developed since the 1980s, when leagues began to be established in North America, Europe and Asia. The sport developed a cult following in the United States when matches were broadcast on ESPN in the late 1980s.[81] As the size of the Australian diaspora has increased, so has the number of clubs outside Australia. This expansion has been further aided by multiculturalism and assisted by exhibition matches as well as exposure generated through players who have converted to and from other football codes. In Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, and the United States there are many thousands of players.

text: A fan of the sport since attending school in Geelong, Prince Charles is the Patron of AFL Europe. In 2013, participation across AFL Europe's 21 member nations was more than 5,000 players, the majority of which are European nationals rather than Australian expats.[82] The sport also has a growing presence in India.[83]

text: The AFL became the de facto governing body when it pushed for the closure of the International Australian Football Council in 2002. The Australian Football International Cup, held triennially in Melbourne since 2002, is the highest level of international competition.

text: Cultural impact and popularity[edit]

text: Australian football is a sport rich in tradition and Australian cultural references, especially surrounding the rituals of gameday for players, officials and supporters.

text: Australian football has been an inspiration for writers and poets including Manning Clarke, Bruce Dawe and Philip Hodgins.[84] Paintings by Arthur Streeton (The National Game, 1889) and Sidney Nolan (Footballer, 1946) helped to establish Australian football as a serious subject for artists.[85] Many Aboriginal artists have explored the game, often fusing it with the mythology of their region.[86][87] Statues of Australian football identities can be found throughout the country. In cartooning, WEG's VFL/AFL premiership posters—inaugurated in 1954—have achieved iconic status among Australian football fans.[88] Dance sequences based on Australian football feature heavily in Robert Helpmann's 1964 ballet The Display, his first and most famous work for the Australian Ballet.[89] The game has also inspired well-known plays such as And the Big Men Fly (1963) by Alan Hopgood and David Williamson's The Club (1977), which was adapted into a 1980 film, directed by Bruce Beresford. Mike Brady's 1979 hit "Up There Cazaly" is considered an Australian football anthem, and references to the sport can be found in works by popular musicians, from singer-songwriter Paul Kelly to the alternative rock band TISM.[90] Many Australian football video games have been released, most notably the AFL series.

text: Australian football has attracted more overall interest among Australians (as measured by the Sweeney Sports report) than any other football code, and, when compared with all sports throughout the nation, has consistently ranked first in the winter reports, and most recently third behind cricket and swimming in summer.[91][92] Over 875,000 fans were paying members of AFL clubs in 2016, which is equal to one in every 28 Australians.[93] The 2016 AFL Grand Final was the year's most-watched television broadcast in Australia, with an in-home audience of up to 6.5 million watching the match.[94][95]

text: In 2006, 615,549 registered participants played Australian football in Australia.[96] Participation increased 7.84% between 2005 and 2006.[96] The Australian Sports Commission statistics show a 64% increase in the total number of participants over the 10-year period between 2001 and 2010.[97] In 2008 there were 35,000 people in 32 countries playing in structured competitions of Australian football outside of Australia.[98]

text: Australian Football Hall of Fame[edit]

text: For the centenary of the VFL/AFL in 1996, the Australian Football Hall of Fame was established. In that year 136 identities were inducted, including 100 players, 10 coaches, 10 umpires, 10 administrators and six media representatives.[99]

text: The elite Legend status was bestowed on 12 members of the Hall of Fame in 1996: Ron Barassi, Haydn Bunton Sr., Roy Cazaly, John Coleman, Jack Dyer, Polly Farmer, Leigh Matthews, John Nicholls, Bob Pratt, Dick Reynolds, Bob Skilton and Ted Whitten. The Legend status is the highest honour which can be bestowed on an Australian footballer.

text: The following fourteen members have been promoted to the status of "Legend" since 1996: Ian Stewart (1997), Gordon Coventry (1998), Peter Hudson (1999), Kevin Bartlett (2000), Barrie Robran (2001), Bill Hutchison (2003), Jock McHale (2005), Darrel Baldock (2006), Norm Smith (2007), Alex Jesaulenko (2008), Kevin Murray (2010), Barry Cable (2012), Tony Lockett (2015) and Malcolm Blight (2017).


document_title: Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

question_text: when was the last time tottenham won a trophy

question_tokens: when was the last time tottenham won a trophy

root

text: Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

text: History

text: Formation and early years (1882–1908)

text: Originally named Hotspur Football Club, the club was formed on 5 September 1882 by a group of schoolboys led by Bobby Buckle. They were members of the Hotspur Cricket Club and the football club was formed to play sports during the winter months.[7] A year later the boys sought help with the club from John Ripsher, the Bible class teacher at All Hallows Church, who became the first president of the club and its treasurer. Ripsher helped and supported the boys through the club's formative years, reorganised and found premises for the club.[8][9][10] In April 1884 the club was renamed "Tottenham Hotspur Football Club" to avoid confusion with another club, London Hotspur, whose post had been mistakenly delivered to North London.[11][12]

tag: p

text: Initially, the boys played games between themselves and friendly matches against other local clubs. The first recorded match took place on 30 September 1882 against a local team named the Radicals, which Hotspur lost 2–0.[13] The team entered their first cup competition in the London Association Cup, and won 5–2 in their first competitive match on 17 October 1885 against a company's works team called St Albans.[14] The club's fixtures began to attract the interest of the local community and attendances at its home matches increased. In 1892, they played for the first time in a league, the short-lived Southern Alliance.[15]

text: The club turned professional on 20 December 1895 and, in the summer of 1896, was admitted to Division One of the Southern League. On 2 March 1898, the club also became a limited company, the Tottenham Hotspur Football and Athletic Company.[15] Soon after, Frank Brettell became the first ever manager of Spurs, and he signed John Cameron, who took over as player-manager when Brettell left a year later. Cameron would have a significant impact on Spurs, helping the club win its first trophy, the Southern League title. The following year, on 27 April 1901, Spurs won the FA Cup by beating Sheffield United 3–1 (in a replay of the 1901 Cup final) and became the only non-League club to achieve the feat since the formation of The Football League in 1888.[16]

text: Early decades in the Football League (1908–1958)

text: In 1908, the club was elected into the Football League Second Division and won promotion to the First Division in their first season, and finished runners-up in their first year in the league. In 1912, Peter McWilliam became manager; Tottenham finished bottom of the league at the end of the 1914–15 season when football was suspended due to the First World War. Spurs were relegated to the Second Division on the resumption of league football after the war, but quickly returned to the First Division as Second Division champions of the 1919–20 season.[17]

text: On 23 April 1921, McWilliam guided Spurs to their second FA Cup win, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 in the Cup Final. Spurs finished second to Liverpool in the league in 1922, but would finish mid-table in the next five seasons. Spurs were relegated in the 1927–28 season after McWilliam left. For most of the 1930s and 40s, Spurs languished in the Second Division, apart from a brief return to the top flight in the 1933–34 and 1934–35 seasons.[18]

text: Former Spurs player Arthur Rowe became manager in 1949. Rowe developed a style of play, known as "push and run", that proved to be successful in his early years as manager. He took the team back to the First Division after finishing top of the Second Division in the 1949–50 season.[19] In his second season in charge, Tottenham won their first ever top tier league championship title when they finished top of the First Division for the 1950–51 season.[20][21] Rowe resigned in April 1955 due to a stress-induced illness from managing the club.[22][23] Before he left, he signed one of Spurs' most celebrated players, Danny Blanchflower, who would win the FWA Footballer of the Year twice while at Tottenham.[24]

text: Bill Nicholson and the glory years (1958–1974)

text: Bill Nicholson took over as manager in October 1958. He would become the club's most successful manager, guiding the team to major trophy success three seasons in a row in the early 1960s: the Double in 1961, the FA Cup in 1962 and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1963.[25] Nicholson signed Dave Mackay and John White in 1959, two influential players of the Double-winning team, and Jimmy Greaves in 1961, the most prolific goal-scorer in the history of the top tier of English football.[26][27]

text: The 1960–61 season started with a run of 11 wins, followed by a draw and another four wins, at that time the best ever start by any club in the top flight of English football.[28] The title was won on 17 April 1961 when they beat the eventual runner-up Sheffield Wednesday at home 2–1, with three more games still to play.[29] The Double was achieved when Spurs won 2–0 against Leicester City in the final of the 1960–61 FA Cup. It was the first Double of the 20th century, and the first since Aston Villa achieved the feat in 1897.[30] The next year Spurs won their second consecutive FA Cup after beating Burnley in the 1962 FA Cup Final.[31]

text: On 15 May 1963, Tottenham became the first British team to win a European trophy by winning the 1962–63 European Cup Winners' Cup when they beat Atlético Madrid 5–1 in the final.[32] Spurs also became the first British team to win two different European trophies when they won the 1971–72 UEFA Cup with a rebuilt team that included Martin Chivers, Pat Jennings, and Steve Perryman.[33] They had also won the FA Cup in 1967,[34] and two League Cups (in 1971 and 1973). In total, Nicholson won eight major trophies in his 16 years at the club as manager.[25]

text: Burkinshaw to Venables (1974–1992)

text: Spurs went into a period of decline after the successes of the early 1970s, and Nicholson resigned after a poor start to the 1974–75 season.[35]  The team was then relegated at the end of the 1976–77 season with Keith Burkinshaw as manager. Burkinshaw quickly returned the club to the top flight, building a team that included Glenn Hoddle, as well as two Argentinians, Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa, whose signings were particularly uncommon in the British game as foreign players in British football were rare at that time.[36] The team that Burkinshaw rebuilt went on to win the FA Cup in 1981 and 1982[37] and the UEFA Cup in 1984.[38]

text: The 1980s was a period of change that began with a new phase of redevelopment at White Hart Lane, as well as a change of directors. Irving Scholar took over the club and moved it in a more commercial direction, the beginning of the transformation of English football clubs into commercial enterprises.[39][40] Debt at the club would again lead to a change in the boardroom, and Terry Venables teamed up with businessman Alan Sugar in June 1991 to take control of Tottenham Hotspur plc.[41][42][43] Venables, who had become manager in 1987, signed players such as Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker. Under Venables, Spurs won the 1990–91 FA Cup, making them the first club to win eight FA Cups.[44]

text: Premier League football (1992–present)

text: Tottenham was one of the five clubs that pushed for the founding of the Premier League, created with the approval of The Football Association, replacing the Football League First Division as the highest division of English football.[45] Despite a succession of managers and players such as Teddy Sheringham, Jürgen Klinsmann and David Ginola, for a long period in the Premier League until the late 2000s, Spurs finished mid-table most seasons with few trophies won. They won the League Cup in 1999 under George Graham, and again in 2008 under Juande Ramos. Performance improved under Harry Redknapp with players such as Gareth Bale and Luka Modrić, and the club finished in the top five in the early 2010s.[46][47]

text: In February 2001, Sugar sold his share holding in Spurs to ENIC Sports plc, run by Joe Lewis and Daniel Levy, and stepped down as chairman.[48] Lewis and Levy would eventually own 85% of the club, with Levy responsible for the running of the club.[49][50] The current manager is Mauricio Pochettino, who was appointed in May 2014.[51] Led by Harry Kane, Spurs finished second in the 2016–17 season, their highest placed league finish since the 1962–63 season.[52]

text: Stadia/playing grounds

text: Early grounds

text: Spurs played their early matches on public land at the Park Lane end of Tottenham Marshes, where they had to mark out and prepare their own pitch.[7] Occasionally fights broke out on the marshes in disputes with other teams over the use of the ground.[53] The first Spurs game reported by the local press took place on Tottenham Marshes on 6 October 1883 against Brownlow Rovers, which Spurs won 9–0.[54] It was at this ground that, in 1887, Spurs first played the team that would later become their arch rivals, Arsenal (then known as Royal Arsenal) leading 2–1 until the match was called off due to poor light after the away team arrived late.[55]

text: As they played on public parkland, the club could not charge admission fees and, while the number of spectators grew to a few thousand, it yielded no gate receipts. In 1888, the club rented a pitch at Asplins Farm, next to the railway line at Northumberland Park, at a cost of £17 per annum, where spectators were charged 3d a game, raised to 6d for cup ties.[56] The first game at the Park was played on 13 October 1888, a reserve match that yielded gate receipts of 17 shillings. The first stand with just over 100 seats and changing rooms underneath was built at the ground for the 1894–95 season at a cost of £60. However, the stand was blown down a few weeks later and had to be repaired.[57] In April 1898, 14,000 fans turned up to watch Spurs play Woolwich Arsenal. Spectators climbed on the roof of the refreshment stand for a better view of the match. The stand collapsed, causing a few injuries. As Northumberland Park could no longer cope with the larger crowds, Spurs were forced to look for a larger ground and moved to the White Hart Lane site in 1899.[58]

text: White Hart Lane

text: The White Hart Lane ground was built on a disused nursery owned by the brewery Charringtons and located behind a public house named the White Hart on Tottenham High Road (the road White Hart Lane actually lies a few hundred yards north of the main entrance). The ground was initially leased from Charringtons, and the stands they used at Northumberland Park were moved here, giving shelter for 2,500 spectators.[59] Notts County were the first visitors to 'the Lane' in a friendly watched by 5,000 people and yielding £115 in receipts; Spurs won 4–1.[60] Queens Park Rangers became the first competitive visitors to the ground and 11,000 people saw them lose 1–0 to Tottenham. In 1905, Tottenham raised enough money to buy the freehold to the land, as well as land at the northern (Paxton Road) end.[59]

text: After Spurs were admitted to the Football League, the club started to build a new stadium, with stands designed by Archibald Leitch being constructed over the next two and a half decades. The West Stand was added in 1909, the East Stand was also covered this year and extended further two years later. The profits from the 1921 FA Cup win were used to build a covered terrace at the Paxton Road end and the Park Lane end was built at a cost of over £3,000 some two years later. This increased the stadium's capacity to around 58,000, with room for 40,000 under cover. The East Stand (Worcester Avenue) was finished in 1934 and this increased capacity to around 80,000 spectators and cost £60,000.[59]

text: Starting in the early 1980s, the stadium underwent another major phase of redevelopment. The West Stand was replaced by an expensive new structure in 1982, and the East Stand was renovated in 1988. In 1992, following the Taylor Report's recommendation that Premier League clubs eliminate standing areas, the lower terraces of the south and east stand were converted to seating, with the North Stand becoming all-seater the following season. The South Stand redevelopment was completed in March 1995 and included the first giant Sony Jumbotron TV screen for live game coverage and away match screenings.[61] In the 1997–98 season the Paxton Road stand received a new upper tier and a second Jumbotron screen.[61]  Minor amendments to the seating configuration were made in 2006, bringing the capacity of the stadium to 36,310.[59]

text: By the turn of the millennium, the capacity of White Hart Lane had become lower than other major Premier League clubs. Talks began over the future of the ground with a number of schemes considered, such as increasing the stadium capacity through redevelopment of the current site, or using of the 2012 London Olympic Stadium in Stratford.[62][63] Eventually the club settled on the Northumberland Development Project, whereby a new stadium would be built on a larger piece of land that incorporated the existing site. In 2016, the northeast corner of the stadium was removed to facilitate the construction of the new stadium. As this reduced the stadium capacity below that required for European games, Tottenham Hotspur played every European home game in 2016–17 at Wembley Stadium.[64] Domestic fixtures of the 2016–17 season continued to be played at the Lane, but demolition of the rest of the stadium started the day after the last game of the season,[65] and White Hart Lane was completely demolished by the end of July 2017.[66]

text: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

text: In October 2008, the club announced a plan to build a new stadium immediately to the north of the existing White Hart Lane stadium, with the southern half of the new stadium's pitch overlapping the northern part of the Lane.[67] This proposal would become the Northumberland Development Project. The club submitted a planning application in October 2009 but, following critical reactions to the plan, it was withdrawn in favour of a substantially revised planning application for the stadium and other associated developments. The new plan was resubmitted and approved by Haringey Council in September 2010,[68] and an agreement for the Northumberland Development Project was signed 20 September 2011.[69]

text: After a long delay over the compulsory purchase order of local businesses located on land to the north of the stadium and a legal challenge against the order,[70][71] resolved in early 2015,[72] planning application for another new design was approved by Haringey Council on 17 December 2015.[73] Construction started in 2016,[74] and the new stadium is scheduled to open during the 2018–19 season.[75][3] While it is under construction, all Tottenham home games in the 2017–18 season as well as some in 2018–19 would be played at Wembley Stadium.[76] The new stadium would be called Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until a naming-rights agreement is reached.[77]

text: Crest

text: Since the 1921 FA Cup final the Tottenham Hotspur crest has featured a cockerel. Harry Hotspur, after whom the club is named, was said to have been given the nickname Hotspur as he dug in his spurs to make his horse go faster as he charged in battles,[78] and he was also said to be fond of fighting cocks fitted with spurs.[53] The club used spurs as a symbol in 1900, which then evolved into a fighting cock.[78] A former player named William James Scott made a bronze cast of a cockerel standing on a football at a cost of £35, and this 9-foot 6-inch figure was then placed on top of the West Stand the end of the 1909–10 season.[78] Since then the cockerel and ball emblem has become a part of the club's identity.[79]

text: Between 1956 and 2006 Spurs used a faux heraldic shield featuring a number of local landmarks and associations. The lions flanking the shield came from the Northumberland family (of which Harry Hotspur was a member). The castle is Bruce Castle, 400 yards from the ground and the trees are the Seven Sisters. The arms featured the Latin motto Audere Est Facere (to dare is to do).[53]

text: In 1983, to overcome unauthorised "pirate" merchandising, the club's badge was altered by adding the two red heraldic lions and the motto scroll. This device appeared on most Spurs' playing kits for the next 23 years.[53]

text: In 2006, in order to rebrand and modernise the club's image, the club badge and coat of arms were replaced by a professionally designed logo/emblem.[80] This revamp showed to be more sleeker and elegant on an old-time football. The club claims that they dropped their club name and would be using the rebranded logo only.[81] In November 2013, Tottenham forced non-league club Fleet Spurs to change their badge because its new design was "too similar" to the Tottenham crest.[82]

text:
Crest 1956–1983

Crest 1983–2005

Crest 2006 – present

tag: ul

text: Kit

text: The first Tottenham kit included a navy blue shirt with a letter H on a scarlet shield on the left breast. In 1884, the club changed to a "quartered" kit similar in style to that of Blackburn Rovers after watching them win in the 1884 FA Cup Final.[53] Shortly after moving to Northumberland Park, the kit changed again to red shirt and blue shorts. Five years later, after becoming a professional club, they switched to a chocolate and gold striped kit.[53]

text: In the 1898–99 season, their final year at Northumberland Park, the club switched colours to white shirts and blue shorts. This colour choice was in homage to Preston North End who had recently done the Double.[83][84] White and navy blue have remained as the club's basic colours ever since, with the white shirts giving the team the nickname "The Lilywhites".[85] In 1921, after they had won the FA Cup, the cockerel badge was added to the shirt. In 1939 numbers first appeared on shirt backs.  In 1991, the club was the first to wear long-cut shorts, an innovation at a time when football kits all featured shorts cut well above the knee.[53]

text: The early supplier of Spurs' jerseys was a local firm on Seven Sisters Road, HR Brookes.[56] In the 1920s, Bukta produced the jerseys for the club. From the mid-1930s onwards, Umbro supplied the kits for Spurs for forty years until it was replaced by Admiral in 1977, followed by Le Coq Sportif in 1980.[53]. In 1985, Spurs entered into a business partnership with Hummel, who then supplied the strips.[86] However, the attempt by Tottenham to expand the business side of the club failed, and in 1991, they returned to Umbro.[87] This was followed by Pony in 1995, Adidas in 1999, and Kappa in 2002.[53][88]  In 2006, they signed a five-year deal with Puma.[89] In March 2011, Under Armour announced a five-year deal to supply Spurs with shirts and other apparel from the start of 2012–13.[90][91] The home and away kits were revealed in July 2012 in London,[92] with the third kit revealed the following month via the promotion of Electronic Arts' FIFA 13 video game.[93]  The shirts incorporate technology that can monitor the players' heart rate and temperature and send the biometric data to the coaching staff.[94]

text: Shirt sponsorship in English football was first adopted by the non-league club Kettering Town F.C. in 1976, and this practice then spread to the major clubs.[94] In December 1983, soon after the club was floated on the London Stock Exchange, Holsten became the first commercial sponsor logo to appear on a Spurs shirt.[95] When Thomson was chosen as kit sponsor in 2002 some Tottenham fans were unhappy as the shirt-front logo was red, the colour of their closest rivals, Arsenal.[96] In 2006, Tottenham secured a £34 million sponsorship deal with internet casino group Mansion.com.[97] In July 2010, Spurs announced a two-year shirt sponsorship contract with software infrastructure company Autonomy said to be worth £20 million.[98] A month later they unveiled a £5 million deal with leading specialist bank and asset management firm Investec as shirt sponsor for the Champions League and domestic cup competitions for the next two years.[99][100] Since 2014, AIA has been the main shirt sponsor in a deal worth over £16 million annually.[101][102]

text: In June 2017, it was announced that Nike would be supplying Spurs' kits in a "multi-year agreement" after Under Armour's contract expired. The 2017–18 kit was released on 30 June, featuring the Spurs' crest encased in a shield, paying homage to Spurs' 1960–61 season, where they became the first post-war-club to win both the Football League First Division and the FA Cup.[103]

text: Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

text:
Period

Kit manufacturer[53]

Kit sponsor[53]

1903–12
HR Brookes
No sponsor

1921–30
Bukta

1935–77
Umbro

1977–80
Admiral

1980–83
Le Coq Sportif

1983–85
Holsten

1985–91
Hummel

1991–95
Umbro

1995–99
Pony
Hewlett-Packard

1999–2002
Adidas
Holsten

2002–06
Kappa
Thomson Holidays

2006–10
Puma
Mansion.com Casino & Poker

2010–11
Autonomy Corporation1[104]

2011–12
Aurasma12[53]

2012–13
Under Armour

2013–14
Hewlett-Packard3[105]

2014–17
AIA[101]

2017–Present
Nike[106]

text: 1 Only appeared in the Premier League. Investec Bank appeared in the Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League.[100][107]

text: 2 Aurasma is a subsidiary of the Autonomy Corporation.

text: 3 Hewlett-Packard is the parent company of the Autonomy Corporation and only appeared in the Premier League. AIA appeared in the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League.[108]

text: Ownership

text: Tottenham Hotspur F.C. became a limited company, The Tottenham Hotspur Football and Athletic Company Ltd, on 2 March 1898 so as to raise funds for the club and limit the personal liability of its members. 8,000 shares were issued at £1 each, although only 1,558 shares were taken up in the first year.[109] Members of the Wale family, who had association with the club since the 1930s and were chairmen of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. in the 1960s and 1970s, were once the largest shareholder of the club.[110] In the early 1980s, cost overruns in the construction of a new West Stand together with the cost of rebuilding the team in previous years led to financial difficulties for the club. In November 1982, Irving Scholar bought 25% of the club for £600,000, and together with Paul Bobroff gained control of the club.[43] Scholar floated Tottenham Hotspur plc, which wholly owns the football club, on the London Stock Exchange in 1983, the first European sports club to be listed in a stock market.[39] The share issue was successful with 3.8 million shares quickly sold.[111] Ill-judged financial decisions led to accumulating debts,[109] and in June 1991 Terry Venables teamed up with businessman Alan Sugar to buy the club, initially as equal partner with each investing £3.25 million. Sugar increased his stake to £8 million by December 1991 and became the dominant partner with effective control of the club. In May 1993, Venables was sacked from the board after a dispute.[112]  By 2000, Sugar began to consider selling the club,[113] and in February 2001, he sold the major part of his shareholding to ENIC International Ltd.[114]

text: Between 2001 and 2011 shares in Tottenham Hotspur F.C. were listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM index). The majority shareholder, ENIC International Ltd, is an investment company established by the British billionaire Joe Lewis. Daniel Levy, Lewis's partner at ENIC, is Executive Chairman of the club. They had acquired 29.9% after buying 27% share of the club for £22 million from Sugar in 1991.[114] Shareholding by ENIC increased over the decade through the purchase of the remaining 12% holding of Alan Sugar in 2007 for £25m,[115][116] and the 9.9% stake belonging to Stelios Haji-Ioannou through Hodram Inc in 2009. On 21 August 2009 the club reported that they had issued a further 30 million shares to fund the initial development costs of the new stadium project, and that 27.8 million of these new shares had been purchased by ENIC.[117] The Annual Report for 2010 indicated that ENIC had acquired 76% of all Ordinary Shares and also held 97% of all convertible redeemable preference shares, equivalent to a holding of 85% of share capital.[118] Following an announcement at the 2011 AGM, in January 2012 the club confirmed that they had been transferred into the private ownership of ENIC.[119]

text: Support

text: Tottenham has a large fanbase in the United Kingdom, drawn largely from North London and the Home counties. The attendance figures for its home matches, however, have fluctuated over the years. Five times between 1946 and 1969, Tottenham had the highest average attendance in England.[120][121] Tottenham was 9th in average attendances for the 2008–09 Premier League season, and 11th for all Premier League seasons.[122] In the 2017–18 season when Tottenham used Wembley as its home ground, it had the second highest attendance in the Premier League.[123] Historical supporters of the club have included such figures as philosopher A.J. Ayer.[124][125] There are many official supporters' clubs located around the world,[126] while an independent supporters club, the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust, is officially recognised by the club as the representative for Spurs supporters.[127][128]

text: Historically, the club had a significant Jewish following from the Jewish communities in East and Northeast London, with around a third of its supporters estimated to be Jewish in the 1930s.[129] It no longer has a greater Jewish contingent among its fans than other major London clubs (Jewish supporters are estimated to form at most 5% of its fanbase), it is nevertheless identified as a Jewish club by rival fans.[130] This has led to much antisemitic provocation with chants of "Yids" or "Yiddos" against Tottenham supporters.[131][132] In response to the abusive chants, Tottenham supporters, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, began to chant back the insults and adopt the "Yids" or "Yid Army" identity starting from around the late 1970s or early 1980s.[133] Some fans view adopting "Yid" as a badge of pride, helping defuse its power as an insult.[134] The use of "Yid" as a self-identification, however, has been controversial; some argued that the word is offensive and its use by Spurs fans "legitimis[es] references to Jews in football",[135] and that such racist abuse should be stamped out in football.[136]  Others, such as Prime Minister David Cameron, argued that there is "a difference between Spurs fans self-describing themselves as Yids and someone calling someone a Yid as an insult" as its use by the Spurs fans is not motivated by hate and therefore cannot be considered hate speech.[137]

text: Fan culture

text: There are a number of songs associated with the club and frequently sung by Spurs fans, such as "Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur". The song originated in 1961 after Spurs completed the Double in 1960–61, and the club entered the European Cup for the first time. Their first opponents were Górnik Zabrze, the Polish champions, and after a hard-fought match Spurs suffered a 4–2 reverse. Tottenham's tough tackling prompted the Polish press to describe them as "they were no angels". These comments incensed a group of three fans and for the return match at White Hart Lane they dressed as angels wearing white sheets fashioned into togas, sandals, false beards and carrying placards bearing biblical-type slogans. The angels were allowed on the perimeter of the pitch and their fervour whipped up the home fans who responded with a rendition of "Glory Glory Hallelujah", which is still sung on terraces at White Hart Lane and other football grounds.[138] The Lilywhites also responded to the atmosphere to win the tie 8–1. Then manager of Spurs, Bill Nicholson, wrote in his autobiography:

text: A new sound was heard in English football in the 1961–2 season. It was the hymn Glory, Glory Hallelujah being sung by 60,000 fans at White Hart Lane in our European Cup matches. I don't know how it started or who started it, but it took over the ground like a religious feeling.

text: There had been a number of incidences of hooliganism involving Spurs fans, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s. Significant events include the rioting by Spurs fans in Rotterdam at the 1974 UEFA Cup Final against Feyenoord, and again during the 1983–84 UEFA Cup matches against Feyenoord in Rotterdam and Anderlecht in Brussels.[140] Although fan violence has since abated, the occasional incidences of hooliganism continued to be reported.[141][142]

text: Rivalries

text: Tottenham supporters have rivalries with several clubs, mainly within the London area. The fiercest of these is with north London rivals Arsenal. The rivalry began in 1913 when Arsenal moved from the Manor Ground, Plumstead to Arsenal Stadium, Highbury, and this rivalry intensified in 1919 when Arsenal were unexpectedly promoted to the First Division, taking a place that Tottenham believed should have been theirs.[143] They also share notable rivalries with fellow London clubs Chelsea and West Ham United.[144]

text: Social responsibility

text: The club through its Community Programme has, since 2006, been working with Haringey Council and the Metropolitan Housing Trust and the local community on developing sports facilities and social programmes which have also been financially supported by Barclays Spaces for Sport and the Football Foundation.[145][146] The Tottenham Hotspur Foundation received high-level political support from the prime minister when it was launched at 10 Downing Street in February 2007.[147]

text: In March 2007 the club announced a partnership with the charity SOS Children's Villages UK.[148] Player fines will go towards this charity's children's village in Rustenburg, South Africa with the funds being used to cover the running costs as well as in support of a variety of community development projects in and around Rustenburg. In the financial year 2006–07, Tottenham topped a league of Premier League charitable donations when viewed both in overall terms[149] and as a percentage of turnover by giving £4,545,889, including a one-off contribution of £4.5 million over four years, to set up the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.[150] This compared to donations of £9,763 in 2005–06.[151]

text: The football club is one of the highest profile participants in the 10:10 project which encourages individuals, businesses and organisations to take action on environmental issues. They joined in 2009 in a commitment to reducing their carbon footprint. To do this they upgraded their lights to more efficient models, they turned down their heating dials and took less short-haul flights among a host of other things.[152] After working with 10:10 for one year, they reported that they had reduced their carbon emissions by 14%.[152]

text: In contrast, they have successfully sought the reduction of section 106 planning obligations connected to the redevelopment of the stadium in the Northumberland Development Project. Initially the development would incorporate 50% affordable housing (100 out of 200), but this was reduced to 0 out of 285[153] when Spurs suggested that the development was not financially viable with this obligation. In addition, a payment of £16m for community infrastructure was reduced to £0.5m.[153]  This is controversial in an area which has suffered high levels of deprivation as Spurs had bought up properties for redevelopment, removing existing jobs and businesses for property development but not creating enough new jobs for the area.[154] The club however argued that the project, when completed, would support 3,500 jobs and inject an estimated £293 million into the local economy annually,[155] and that it would serve as the catalyst for a wider 20-year regeneration programme for the Tottenham area.[156][157]

text: Tottenham Hotspur Ladies

text: Tottenham's women's team was founded in 1985 as Broxbourne Ladies. They started using the Tottenham Hotspur name for the 1991–92 season and played in the London and South East Women's Regional Football League (then fourth tier of the game). They won promotion after topping the league in 2007–08. In the 2016–17 season they won the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division and a subsequent playoff, gaining promotion to the FA Women's Super League 2.[158]

text: Honours

text: Major honours

text: Domestic

text: League competitions

text:
First Division/Premier League:
Winners (2): 1950–51, 1960–61(D)
Second Division/Championship:
Winners (2): 1919–20, 1949–50

text: Cup competitions

text:
FA Cup:
Winners (8): 1900–01, 1920–21, 1960–61(D), 1961–62, 1966–67, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1990–91
League Cup:
Winners (4): 1970–71, 1972–73, 1998–99, 2007–08
FA Charity Shield/FA Community Shield:
Winners (7): 1921, 1951, 1961, 1962, 1967*, 1981*, 1991* (*shared)

text: European

text:
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup:
Winners (1): 1962–63
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League:
Winners (2): 1971–72, 1983–84

text: Statistics and records

text: Steve Perryman holds the appearance record for Spurs, having played 854 games for the club between 1969 and 1986, of which 655 were league matches.[160][161] Jimmy Greaves holds the club goal scoring record with 266 goals in 380 league, cup and European appearances.[162]

text: Tottenham's record league win is 9–0 against Bristol Rovers in the Second Division on 22 October 1977.[163][164] The club's record cup victory came on 3 February 1960 with a 13–2 win over Crewe Alexandra in the FA Cup.[165] Spurs' biggest top-flight victory came against Wigan Athletic on 22 November 2009, when they won 9–1 with Jermain Defoe scoring five goals.[164][166] The club's record defeat is an 8–0 loss to 1. FC Köln in the Intertoto Cup on 22 July 1995.[167]

text: The record home attendance at White Hart Lane was 75,038 on 5 March 1938 in a cup tie against Sunderland.[168] The highest recorded home attendances were at their temporary home, Wembley Stadium, due to its higher capacity – 85,512 spectators turned up on 2 November 2016 for the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen,[169] while 83,222 attended the North London Derby against Arsenal on 10 February 2018 which is the highest attendance recorded for any Premier League game.[170]

text: Players

text: Current squad

text: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

text:
No.

Position

Player

1

GK

Hugo Lloris (captain)[172]

2

DF

Kieran Trippier

3

DF

Danny Rose

4

DF

Toby Alderweireld

5

DF

Jan Vertonghen

6

DF

Dávinson Sánchez

7

FW

Son Heung-min

8

MF

Harry Winks

10

FW

Harry Kane

11

MF

Érik Lamela

12

MF

Victor Wanyama

13

GK

Michel Vorm

14

MF

Georges-Kévin N'Koudou

No.

Position

Player

15

MF

Eric Dier

16

DF

Kyle Walker-Peters

17

MF

Moussa Sissoko

18

FW

Fernando Llorente

19

MF

Mousa Dembélé

20

MF

Dele Alli

21

DF

Juan Foyth

22

GK

Paulo Gazzaniga

23

MF

Christian Eriksen

24

DF

Serge Aurier

27

MF

Lucas Moura

33

DF

Ben Davies

—

FW

Vincent Janssen

text: Out on loan

text:
No.

Position

Player

25

MF

Josh Onomah (at Sheffield Wednesday until 30 June 2019)[173]

38

DF

Cameron Carter-Vickers (at Swansea City until 30 June 2019)[174]

text: Under-23s and Academy

text: Club management and support staff

text:
Role

Name

Manager
 Mauricio Pochettino[175]

Assistant manager
 Jesús Pérez[176]

First team coach
 Miguel D'Agostino[177]

First team goalkeeping coach
 Toni Jiménez[178]

Head of sports science, fitness and conditioning
 Nathan Gardiner[179]

International technical coordinator
 Steffen Freund[180]

Head of recruitment and analysis
 Steve Hitchen[181]

text: Club directors

text:
Role

Name[182][183]

Executive chairman
Daniel Levy

Finance director
Matthew Collecott

Director
Donna-Maria Cullen

Director
Darren Eales

non-executive director
Sir Keith Mills

non-executive director
Kevan Watts

non-executive director
Ron Robson

text: Managers and players

text: Managers and head coaches in club's history

text: Listed according to when they became managers for Tottenham Hotspur:

text:
(C) – Caretaker
(FTC) – First team coach

text:
1898  Frank Brettell
1899  John Cameron
1907  Fred Kirkham
1912  Peter McWilliam
1927  Billy Minter
1930  Percy Smith
1935  Wally Hardinge (C)
1935  Jack Tresadern
1938  Peter McWilliam
1942  Arthur Turner
1946  Joe Hulme
1949  Arthur Rowe
1955  Jimmy Anderson
1958  Bill Nicholson
1974  Terry Neill
1976  Keith Burkinshaw
1984  Peter Shreeves
1986  David Pleat
1987  Doug Livermore and  Trevor Hartley (C)
1987  Terry Venables
1991  Peter Shreeves
1992  Doug Livermore and  Ray Clemence (FTC)

1993  Osvaldo Ardiles
1994  Steve Perryman (C)
1994  Gerry Francis
1997  Chris Hughton (C)
1997  Christian Gross
1998  David Pleat (C)
1998  George Graham
2001  David Pleat (C)
2001  Glenn Hoddle
2003  David Pleat (C)
2004  Jacques Santini
2004  Martin Jol
2007  Clive Allen (C)
2007  Juande Ramos
2008  Harry Redknapp
2012  André Villas-Boas
2013  Tim Sherwood
2014  Mauricio Pochettino

text: Club hall of fame

text: The following players are noted as "greats" for their contributions to the club or have been inducted into the club's Hall of Fame:[184][185][186] The most recent additions to the club's Hall of Fame are Steve Perryman and Jimmy Greaves on 20 April 2016.[187]

text:
Osvaldo Ardiles
 Ricardo Villa
 Clive Allen
 Les Allen
 Paul Allen
 Darren Anderton
 Peter Baker
 Phil Beal
 Bobby Buckle
 Keith Burkinshaw
 Martin Chivers
 Tommy Clay
 Ray Clemence
 Ralph Coates
 Garth Crooks
 Jimmy Dimmock

 Ted Ditchburn
 Terry Dyson
 Paul Gascoigne
 Arthur Grimsdell
 Jimmy Greaves
 Willie Hall
 Ron Henry
 Glenn Hoddle
 Jack Jull
 Cyril Knowles
 Gary Lineker
 Gary Mabbutt
 Paul Miller
 Billy Minter
 Tom Morris
 Alan Mullery

 Bill Nicholson
 Maurice Norman
 Steve Perryman
 Martin Peters
 John Pratt
 Graham Roberts
 Teddy Sheringham
 Bobby Smith
 Vivian Woodward
 Chris Waddle
 Fanny Walden
 David Ginola
 Steffen Freund
 Jürgen Klinsmann
 Chris Hughton
 Danny Blanchflower

 Pat Jennings
 Steve Archibald
 Bill Brown
 John Cameron
 Alan Gilzean
 Dave Mackay
 John White
 Ronnie Burgess
 Mike England
 Cliff Jones
 Terry Medwin
 Taffy O'Callaghan

text: Player of the Year

text:
1987  Gary Mabbutt
1988  Chris Waddle
1989  Erik Thorstvedt
1990  Paul Gascoigne
1991  Paul Allen
1992  Gary Lineker
1993  Darren Anderton
1994  Jürgen Klinsmann

1995  Teddy Sheringham
1996  Sol Campbell
1997  Sol Campbell
1998  David Ginola
1999  Stephen Carr
2000  Stephen Carr
2001  Neil Sullivan
2002  Simon Davies

2003  Robbie Keane
2004  Jermain Defoe
2005–06  Robbie Keane
2006–07  Dimitar Berbatov
2007–08  Robbie Keane
2008–09  Aaron Lennon
2009–10  Michael Dawson
2010–11  Luka Modrić

2011–12  Scott Parker
2012–13  Gareth Bale
2013–14  Christian Eriksen
2014–15  Harry Kane
2015–16  Toby Alderweireld
2016–17  Christian Eriksen
2017–18  Jan Vertonghen

text: Affiliated clubs

text:
Internacional[189]
 San Jose Earthquakes[190]
 South China[191]
 Supersport United[192]